How to Plan a Conference: 10 Tips From An Event Strategist

Organizing a successful conference or event takes careful planning and execution. It can be overwhelming to think of all the details that need to be handled, but with the right strategy in place, you can make sure your event runs smoothly. In this blog post, we discuss 10 tips from an experienced event strategist on how to plan a conference for maximum success. 

From creating impactful visuals to knowing when to delegate tasks, these simple steps will help ensure your event is memorable for all the right reasons.

10 Essential Steps for How to Plan a Conference

Planning a successful conference requires careful attention to the major key steps. Be sure to include these 10 essential ones while making your strategic conference plan!

1. Always be sure to define clear objectives

• What is the purpose of your conference? 
• What is your WHY for putting this conference on? 
• Ultimately, what do you want people to walk away with? 

When defining objectives, be sure to attach clear goals to them so you can properly execute your purpose.

2. Make sure to keep the spend and income on track + make a solid budget plan

Be sure to include all expenses - venue, vendors, marketing, staff, travel, speaker costs to name a few - also be sure to include a miscellaneous spend for things that may pop up unexpectedly. 

For the income side, consider revenue from ticket sales, partnerships, in-kind offerings that would offset the bottom line spend number. 

Keep a clear goal in mind for what you want your total net revenue to be.

3.Your home base - venue selection

When choosing what venue will host your conference, be sure to think about the following things: 

• location
• how many people will it hold
• what comes included in the cost of the rental (tables, chairs, linens, plates, glassware, parking, etc.)
• total cost

It’s always helpful to visit the space in person to make sure it fits your vision for the gathering.

4. Keeping it all together with a detailed timeline

This will outline all of the deadlines, tasks, and milestones leading up to the conference. Be sure to define big picture/strategic tasks and from that, assign responsibilities to team members who can help make this come to life through smaller tasks with realistic deadlines.

5. Speaker Fun

Reach out to your already established network of contacts within your industry to see if they would be interested in becoming a speaker. 

• Make sure they are knowledgeable + relevant to the theme and can speak to their expert topic. 
• It is also important they can engage with the audience in a fun + delightful manner. 

Ensure you have a good mix of keynote speakers, panelists + breakout sessions, depending on the ultimate flow of your programming.

This will outline all of the deadlines, tasks, and milestones leading up to the conference. 

Be sure to define big picture/strategic tasks and from that, assign responsibilities to team members who can help make this come to life through smaller tasks with realistic deadlines.

6. Make it stand out - marketing + promotions

Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy to increase awareness and maximize attendance. 

When creating a plan, be sure to include strategies such as social media, email marketing, developing a conference specific website, industry publications and associations partnerships, writing a press release and sending it out to the media, industry influencers to name a few. 

P.S. It is also super important to define a compelling conference brand. Create a strong and consistent brand identity for your conference. Design a visually appealing logo, website, and marketing materials that reflect the theme and objectives of the event.

7. Get the attendees there - registration + ticketing

Implement a streamlined process to make it easy + seamless for attendees to sign up and purchase tickets. Make sure you define the different options clearly regarding pricing, deadlines, early bird rates, etc.

8. It’s all in the details - logistics management

The small, but mighty details are extremely important to having a flawless (or almost flawless) conference production. 

Having trust and open communication with all of the vendor teams is key in executing this properly. 

Having a second or third set of eyes on these details is a great way to keep things flowing and to not miss a beat either.

Implement a streamlined process to make it easy + seamless for attendees to sign up and purchase tickets. 

Make sure you define the different options clearly regarding pricing, deadlines, early bird rates, etc.

9. Connection - networking opportunities

When developing the flow of your conference, be sure to include dedicated time for network + connection. This can be done through dedicated networking time, social events, interactive activities, all the things. 

This is a key part to make your conference a success. People want that personal touch to exchange ideas + build relationships. If you’re doing an all virtual event, be sure to include this component too. 

Though they might not be in person, this is one step you don’t want to miss!

10. The conference is here - on-site management

In addition to the overall strategic plan you have put together for the conference, be sure to define a specific plan for the actual conference days.

You will need team members to assist with registration, directing attendees, attending to any emergencies that may arise, technical issues that may pop up. 

If you are the person running it all, be sure to do check-ins in all areas to ensure all is running smoothly.

BONUS: How did we do - evaluation + feedback

It is always wise to reach out to attendees, speakers + partners after the conference ends to see what they thought about their role in the event. 

You can use surveys or feedback forms to gather insights on what worked well and what areas may need a little help for the next go around. 

It is important to take these findings in consideration when planning the next one.

Learn to Plan A Conference Next Steps

Creating a successful conference takes time, effort and planning. But if you follow these ten tips from an event strategist, your chances of hosting an unforgettable gathering are much higher! 

From prospecting the right speakers to implementing a comprehensive marketing strategy and managing all logistics on-site - there is no shortage of tasks involved in executing a successful conference. Don’t forget to evaluate + collect feedback after it's over too so that you can make improvements for next year's event. 

With proper preparation and support from team members or professionals like myself who coach business owners how to plan conferences for a living, you will be well on your way towards making this the most memorable experience yet! Contact me to plan your next event.

Make your next event a success.

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